I am a bit more than a month past the end of the chemo and radiation treatments. I am still feeling some of the effects of the treatments, but at the same time improving on a daily basis in many ways.
The most prominent lingering effect is anemia, which causes me to have some days that I feel high levels of fatigue--and some days (like today) that my energy level is quite good. I am told that my red blood cell count will come back much more gradually than my white count. I am also prone to having symptoms of nausea on the high-fatigue days, but have meds to take for that. The key for me to fight the fatigue is to have a little physical activity every day, and we're working on that with walks and doing errands that get me on my feet and out of the house.
But there is much more to report from the positive side of the ledger. The throat pain from the radiation is almost gone and I am gaining some range of motion in my jaw area. What that means is I can eat some solid foods on a very limited basis and with great care. I'm a long way from getting the feeding tube removed, but it's a start in that direction. Also, with the reduced pain my intake of medicine has dropped considerably--which lets me be a little more alert during the day.
My voice continues to get stronger, so please feel free to call me directly if you want to chat.
We still have only an approximate date for the PET scan--last week of May or first week of June. I'll be sure to get a "Good Vibes Needed" message out once we know the date.
mike
so glad to hear that you are in less pain and need fewer meds. the small but regular doses of physical activity sound good for many reasons. stay strong.
ReplyDeletekaren z